The 73rd hunger games
by Reviewthis18
Summary: A story of the 73rd hunger games. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I was ten years old when I realized what I feared most, it was not my death, my greatest fear was something worse. In just two years I would be eligible to be a tribute in the Hunger games like my older brother who died curled up in the cold of the arena. Even though I was ready to cry I didn't; I knew I had to be strong for my younger brother who was seven at the time and my sister at the age of five. They didn't understand why my brother wasn't coming home and our dad had only explained the games to me when my older brother was selected.

"Habara has been selected to fight in the Hunger Games and he may not come back." My dad said over a bottle of liquor like he so often did. When my brother died dad was too drunk to tell my other two siblings what happened, so I did. This was when I realized I was afraid that someday one of them would be selected to die in the arena

Seven years later I woke up earlier than usual from dreams of what names would be called today on reaping day. _Narci Jolts, Galmis Jolts_ their names kept ringing in my head, and the fear that one of them would be chosen made me shiver. I decided to go for a run and clear my head, it almost always calmed me just to be moving and let my mind wander but today even that didn't work. No one was awake yet so it was quiet except for the hum of the power plants that inhabited District Five. After the run I returned to my father's house in the victor's village that he won when he was fifteen. Still no one was awake. I sat just thinking until Galmis shot out of bed up panting, he was having nightmare just like me.

"Morning sleepy head" I teased

"What time is it?" he asked running a hand through his short black hair.

I looked over at the clock on the wall "About six thirty Galmis, go back to sleep."

"Well why aren't you in bed then Doc?" I just gave him that look that said don't ask and he seemed to understand. My full name is actually Doctore Jr.; dad told me it was actually my great grandfather's old nickname and that since then it was passed down through the family. I was still anxious at seven -o- clock so I took a walk to the town square where preparation for the reaping had begun. I would have walked right past if I didn't spot the only other teenager who would be out this early on reaping day. First I notice her red hair then her sly looking face in a grin that she tried to maintain. Spera was my best friend since I started school, but I took to calling her Sly because it became very apparent very quickly that she was very cleaver.

"Good morning Doc," she said "how are you this, fine morning?" we both forced ourselves to laugh a little to keep from freaking out.

"Well, all things considered I would say okay; I got a chance to go for a run and it's very nice out today." Good weather was always something that made the day better for us; between training with my family and talking in the meadow with Sly I was practically raised outside.

"You already went running? And I thought I was up early."

"No you see Sly, you do wake up early, I just don't sleep" we smiled a little at that but it was true, with all the bad dreams I had hardly slept at all in the past few nights. I put that aside though, I was not upset yet and I was hoping for it to stay that way for a little while longer.

"So is anything interesting going on in the village Doc or is it the same old story?"

"Things are the same for the most part, Galmis is still, well Galmis" _In other words a bit of a hot head who can't keep his mouth shut_, "and Narci is still working hard in school, still hoping to be a teacher someday. Gelda still keeps to herself." What else could be said, all I knew was that she won the Hunger Games five years before my dad and rarely left her house. There were some days in fact when I wondered if she was still alive in there. "Oh and dad actually sobered up for the occasion, what a surprise." Sly gave me a look and I agreed that my comment was unfair. My dad did sober up sometimes and when he was sober he would teach us some interesting stuff; the trouble was that seeing him drunk was common, and when he drank he was rude, obnoxious or just plain hurtful. Still I had no right to mock his drinking habits.

We talked a while longer then we said our goodbyes and went home to get ready for the reaping. It was about ten-o-clock When I got home and everyone was already awake and in their reaping day clothes.

"Good morning Doc" Narci said, she wore a light blue dress that belonged to my mother, Narci barley knew her but she felt like she did when I told her stories and she always looked just like our mother, that always made me smile. "Were you running this whole time?"

"Well I talked to Sly a little and she is doing fine this morning"

"That's always good to hear," Galmis said dressed in a nice white shirt and black pants that I wore when I was his age "especially on a day like today with the reaping going on."

Narci swallowed hard and looked down at her shoes, something she did when she was nervous or in this case terrified. I shot Galmis a look as if to say _thanks for that. _He didn't mean to upset her; he just failed to think before speaking.

"Go get ready Doc, if you get picked you may as well look presentable." My father was in a nice suit since he was the mentor for whoever was picked and would have to be on stage. I changed into a shirt and pants that matched my brother's and headed back out to show my dad. "You look good son, now grab something to eat the reaping is at noon." After we ate we set out for the town square and signed in for what we knew was coming, or for what we thought we knew what was coming.

As we filed into the square with our age groups the formalities began with Valentino Crassus, our capitol representative who gave a speech about the joy it brought him to be here for the Seventy Third Hunger Games. Then the Mayor of our district, a tall man relatively new to the office, gave a speech about the history of Panem and how the Hunger Games came to be according to the capitol.

Silence then gripped the crowd as the reaping began, the girls always went first. I had some confidence, would they really pick Narci? Her name was entered once, not impossible but highly unlikely and yet the name echoed in my ear and I felt like my heart had stopped.

"Narci Jolts" Crassus called out loud. Everything seemed to be spinning as I watched my fears come true, my little sister who looked just like her mother, who always worried when dad trained us hand to hand fighting that she may hurt someone, who was incapable of hate, was going to be thrown into the arena with twenty three children who wanted to kill her and there was nothing that I could do to stop it. The only thing that stopped this horrible sensation was the next name read, "Galmis Jolts." It was difficult to stay standing now.

I looked up and found my father's eyes, he knew what I was thinking and I could almost see him telling me not to. But I just nodded to tell him he would not stop me, I would not lose them both like this and I could do something about Galmis. In the strongest and clearest voice I could manage I shouted out the words "I volunteer!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The crowd parted to let me pass into the center and up to the stage; as I walked many of the boys I knew from school gave a nod of the head to acknowledge my passing. I took the stage next to Narci who looked off into the distance as if not understanding what was going on, it was the only reaction she could have given other than screaming and trying to run.

The mayor then read the treaty of treason and I thought again about something that crossed my mind every year since my older brother died. _Why do we need to pay for what our grandfathers and great grandfathers did long ago? Is anyone still alive who remembers that stupid war?_ But all I could do was keep quiet and wait for the speech to end.

We were then escorted into the justice building by the peace keepers and placed in two rooms by ourselves. The first people to come through the door were my dad and Galmis; both looked grim but my dad looked disappointed too "Doc, do always act on impulse or did this actually seem like a good idea?" My dad said while shaking his head furiously.

"What was I supposed to do dad let Galmis go just like Narci, Just like Habara? I thought I could save at least one of them," Then it hit me, in the arena alliances were always made and perhaps now I could make one with Narci, no I would make one with Narci . I could find a way to save both Galmis and her "Maybe I can save Narci too."

Dad took a deep breath and I began to realize how he must have felt since I volunteered; now he has to watch one of his children die to save the others. "The scary thing Doc is that I know you would make sure she wins, I bet you would kill yourself to make sure that happens. I don't agree with such a waste of life, but that is your decision. Galmis say goodbye to your brother."

"Doc I," For once Galmis had nothing to say good or bad so I spoke for him

"Galmis I'm sorry but I need you to do something for me," He just nodded "I need you to take care of Narci when she gets back; also remember I did this because I love you and I don't want to watch you die."

"I will, I promise and thank you Doc" As Galmis left his eyes told me he was on the verge of tears, the Kid who tried so hard to look tough could hardly keep from crying.

The door opened again and Sly walked in, she tried to keep a calm face but panic found its way into her eyes. "Hey Doc, so," She was trying to stay calm but how could anyone act like everything was fine. "I'm sorry Doc, but maybe you can win."

"Sly listen to me, I know I won't come out but I can still help Narci win, I can save them both." She looked away unable to meet my eyes. "I'm sorry Sly but I have a chance to make sure they'll both be okay."

She forced herself to look at me now; the panic that was creeping in was now flooding her eyes, the look you gave a dead man. A dead man, which was me now; whoever made the named reaping day could not have picked a better name. Still she tried to keep her voice calm "I understand; Doc, if there is anything that I can do to help you though,"

"Actually yes, make sure you keep an eye on Galmis, with dad as the mentor he will be alone for a while, and when Narci gets home I need you to keep her company." Narci and Sly liked each other; you would think they were sisters if you didn't know them better.

Sly nodded then gave me a hug the kind that was a final goodbye "one more thing Doc, I brought this by," She reached into her pocket and fished out a small set of metal tags, dog tags. "You'll need a token in the arena." They were my brother's; dad must have told her to give them to me but why her? Why didn't he give them to me himself?

All I could do was nod and say "thank you, I will." A peace keeper walked in to escort her out "Thank you Sly, You've been a good friend."

"You too." She said as she walked out, and that was it for saying goodbye to District Five. Only a second later I was escorted to the train station where the cameras were waiting; I hardly knew how to act in front of them so I just swung my head around from camera to camera. On the train Narci was already there along with dad and Crassus.

"Now off to the Capitol with you my fine tributes" Crassus said in that obnoxious capitol accent. The man looked ridiculous in his bright yellow wig and mustache. Did people from the Capitol ever look in a mirror? I would guess not otherwise they might decide to tone down the stupidity in their wardrobe.

As Narci and I watched our home disappeared dad began to talk "It's time to start planning your strategy, I know you two well so I can make some suggestions. Doc you are good at fighting with all the time you spent wrestling with your brother, but keep your knife skills honed too you have a lot of talent for it. When training I recommend that you learn some snare, plant ID, and other useful survival skills. Narci you may need the opposite, you still need to learn survival skills, but you should really learn how to fight a little better. And both of you try to learn how to be stealthy, hiding at the right time can save your lives, trust me."

"Well, how did you win dad?" Narci asked.

This was a topic dad tried to avoid but when it mattered he would tell us "I used stealth, planning and deception. I made a few alliances that 'did not go well' for my allies. One night I was on guard and slit a throat then blamed it on the kid I switched guard duties with, another night I spotted another tribute sneaking up a bit too late to save someone. That's the trouble with allies; you can't be sure who you can trust."

Soon enough the Capitol came into view; I was taken aback at the buildings and how large they were. Could people really build things this large? We began to pull into the station; it was filled with more people than I had ever seen in one place. "A word of advice," Dad whispered to us, "you should start appealing to the crowd now, get them to like you."

_Let the games Begin then_ I thought over a few waves to the crowd. Narci seemed to be working out well, with a small smile and tiny little waves the people seemed to love her already. We were then escorted to a car that took us to a tall building, even by Capitol standards. It was here that the words rang in my head, _this is it_, _we're here._

ent here...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Just a few more touches and, done." Razzion said as he finished preparing me for the opening ceremony. He was a short thin man with fluffy curly hair that was a soft pink color and too pale skin to be natural. The costume we had this year was made to look like a glorified power worker uniform from our district and I knew my sister's would be matching. "You look fabulous Mr. Jolts, if this doesn't excite the crowd then nothing will." I didn't feel fabulous, I felt like what I was, a spectacle; even still I thanked Razzion for a costume that the Capitol would like with their odd taste in fashion.

Down by the chariots we would use, some of the other tributes were already there including Narci. She was patting the horse from our chariot and seemed to be enjoying herself "Hi Doc," she called to me "you look, good." She said with a giggle

I could not help but to chuckle, knowing how silly the costumes were "well I look as good as you do I guess." I looked around at the other tributes and like any good competitor I began to analyze them. From District One there seemed to be the regular careers, the same was true with District Two. I began to scan all the districts when the boy from six spotted me; he was about sixteen with blond hair and pale skin.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"My Name is Doctore my friends call me Doc" I said trying to sound uninterested. "I was just looking around seeing the costumes."

"Right, well goodbye then Doctore" he then went back to his chariot just in time for the ceremony to begin.

Right after District Four our chariot began to move quickly into the crowd, into the bright lights. The flash of cameras was everywhere, the sound of cheering filled the air and at the center of it all was Narci and I waving and smiling like we had already won. Eventually we rolled out of sight of the crowd and stepped down from the chariot; it was time to go to our room. We were on a middle floor being from District Five, it was large though, large enough to rival most houses from back home. The first thing we did was get into more comfortable clothes and then at dad's request we began to watch a rerun of today's reaping to see who our competition was. As in the chariot ride I noticed the careers, it was no surprise that they all volunteered. The twelve year old boy from district twelve caught my eye; he was a short lean boy, practically skin and bones who just looked at the ground like he was afraid of what he would see if he looked up but then so did many of the other children. Most of the people looked nearly starved to death in District Twelve, it was sad to see some many hungry faces that would not be helped.

After that we all went to bed to prepare for training tomorrow, but later that Night I thought I heard crying from Narci's room. "What's wrong?" I asked, but did I even need to? She must have been having nightmares again. "Come on now Narci, you're safe here. Go back to sleep, you'll need rest for tomorrow." It was an effort to make her do so yet she did fall back asleep but only because I agreed to stay for a while, in fact I fell asleep in a chair by her bedside.

The next morning training began and dad told us what to do right up to the door of the training room. "Remember Doc a little hand to hand, a little knife and weaponry, but a lot of survival. Narci learn self-defense skills and survival. Both of you should also work on stealth a little too." The Training facility was large with many stations, though the 'pep-talk' we got was hardly inspiring.

"A large number of you will be dead before the sun sets on the first day," said the head of training "how much you learn in training will determine if you will be one of those unfortunate individuals. Now get started!" No one wasted any time finding a station to learn at.

I decided on the plant ID station and so did Narci; it was not too difficult to identify the more obvious ones that were safe to eat, then came the poison plants like night lock. Narci took to that much better though along with snares; we both took well to tree climbing. Spear throwing was something we both failed at, but hand to hand and close range knives were a walk in the park for me. Narci However fell behind in self-defense skills so I had to help. We started some light sparing, she would throw a few punches and I would block or dodge then I took a few slow swings so she could practice defending. At one point we had to explain to the peacekeepers that we were not fighting, just practicing.

At lunch only the careers sat together, probably making an alliance or something but then the boy from District One came over to me and sat down. "You're pretty good with a knife and your fists, how about a team up? I promise you'll survive longer than most of these wimps and you get to work with the real competition for a while instead of against us."

I still remember what dad told us about alliances and how they never really work out "Thank you for the offer…." I paused waiting for a name.

"Cutter, my name is Cutter"

"Right, thank you but no I'm not interested Cutter."

Cutter's expression grew harder and more irritated "look I'm offering to help you, no in fact let you live longer than you would if you work against us. You would have to be pretty stupid to turn that down."

"Well as it turns out I work better alone, so thank you but I'm not interested."

He looked at me then to Narci "well you also work with your friend here, are you two allies?" He turned to Narci and gave her a menacing smile, "Maybe I should just pay a visit to her in the arena, would you like that?"

I gave my head a slight shake "You know cutter, I think it would be best if you just went back to your little wolf pack to give them the bad news. Or you could go bother someone else for all I care, just leave us alone until the games start."

"Fine, but when the games start I'll be looking for you first then this little wimp." Narci's Jaw tightened. She may have been a nice kid who didn't like to hurt others but when she was threatened like that she would not hold back.

After lunch I started sword training figuring that a longer blade could keep other tributes at a distance, Cutter must have thought the same thing. He was fast but as I observed I notices his legs; most of his attacks shifted his wight on his right leg. The whole time I watched him, the more apparent this became. I myself tried hard to make sure I did not make a similar mistake. I was not as fast as Cutter, but my slashes went deeper into the dummies.

That night we told dad and Crassus we were making progress, Crassus acted so pleased but dad just gave an approving nod of his head. "Good, but you still have a long way to go; also you should start to think about what you are going to show the game makers." I hadn't thought about that yet, I was descent with hand to hand combat, maybe I could show them that. "What do you think of the competition so far?'

"Well I was offered a chance to join a career pack, but I turned it down."

"Good Doc, I agree; now you don't need to worry about when He'll stab you in the back. But that just means you already have a strong enemy in the arena."

I could care less if Cutter hated me, all that mattered was that I kept him away from Narci; aside from that, Cutter would have eventually tried to kill me anyways.

That night Narci slept better, but I couldn't say the same. Habara kept finding his way into my dreams; I saw him getting into that train that would never take him home, I saw him freezing to death in the dark night of the arena. Finally I dreamed of him in that coffin and not believing it was real. I woke up drenched in sweat and clutching the dog tags around my neck. I tried to tell myself it was just a dream but I knew I could not lie to myself. "I Miss you Habara." I whispered to myself as I looked at the clock; I still had a few more hours before training started.

The remainder of the night was dreamless and quick; I woke up to Crassus knocking on my door telling me that I was going to be late for training. I dressed, ate a quick breakfast and went to the training center. Narci and I started with a bit of Jogging then moved to hand to hand combat.

"You've got a shadow Doc," Narci said this and I turned to see the boy from District Six who confronted me at the chariot ceremony. "He's been watching you and trying to copy you for a half hour now." I didn't know what was stranger, the fact that he was observing me and trying to learn from me, or the fact that it took me this long to notice he was there.

"Can I help you, because you look like you're watching me?"

The kid was nervous and you could hear it in his voice "I was just thinking that with your skill with hand to hand maybe you could, give me some tips." The last four words sounded like a question as he said them. But what he said made no sense to me, why would any tribute help his opponent learn how to kill more effectively.

"First, why don't you just ask the instructors for help? Second, what makes you think that any tribute will help you become a better killer? Third, why are you asking me?

"I tried to join the alliance with the careers, but Cutter said I was easy prey and that he would be hunting me. So I came to you because we both have the pack after us and I thought I could cause them some trouble. Regardless of that, I can help you; I've noticed you have no skill with a throwing knife or spear, you also need help with navigation. I can help you there if you will help me," Trusting people in the arena got you killed, but what he was saying was true, I didn't know anything about navigating and I would need to find my way somehow. Aside from that he could make a good distraction for Cutter, maybe he could even kill him with the right training. "Well do we have a deal?"

I would have to be careful about what I taught him, but I could still learn something from him. "Fine but on one condition, Cutter is your top priority." He only nodded as a response; it was good enough for me. "Good now let's get started, we only have two days." I taught him a few simple ways to block punches, a few ways to throw your opponent. He taught me how to navigate without a compass or map and helped me to actually hit targets when throwing a spear and knife. I then retrieved the knife and told him how to use it in close quarters.

About two hours later I realized Narci was gone and I felt guilty, I was supposed to be helping her instead of learning a few knife tricks. I told the boy from District Six, Delv, to wait while I looked for her. I was having little luck; then at the Climbing station I heard it "Doc up here" I looked Up to see Narci higher than I had seen her or any tribute climb. "Hi Doc, I saw you were having fun with your new friend so I decided to find something else to do."

"Narci I'm sorry, I just got caught up with training, but you're right I should be helping you out. But Narci maybe Delv can help you out with navigation, if we get separated in the arena you're going to need to know how." She agreed, reluctantly at first but as Delv helped her, she eventually began to teach him how to move quietly and how to listen for footsteps of other tributes.

At lunch Delv tried to sit with us, but I had to remember he was just someone we worked with. "Sorry Delv, but it would be easier if we just trained together and nothing else." He sat down anyway "Look I hate to sound like a career, but the less time we spend together the easier it will be to kill one another.

"Come on Doc, careers don't think like that, they make too many packs to think like that. Besides, I just wanted to ask what District Five is like." He must have seen the clueless look on my face as well as the 'why' that went with it. "I've just always been curious about what the other districts are like and I figure that now is my best chance to find out, it might be my last chance too."

Narci voiced my thoughts perfectly "But you're from District Six, the transportation district. I thought that some people there work on the capitol trains; couldn't they tell you what the other districts are like?"

"Well no actually; we don't work on the trains, we just build them along with cars, boats and pieces of hovercrafts. There is my mentor, but I only talk to her about the games; also the information would be better if it came from someone who actually lives there."

Now that Narci and I had just learned something about his district I felt it was only fair to let him know something about ours, it was not like it could have helped him at all. "Well we take care of power in Panem so the security is a bit tight but not a lot of people are starving like in the outer districts. What you really have to fear is the power plant meltdown, it doesn't happen that often, but when it does it is bad."

"Accidents In the factories are the big problem with us, not to mention the long shifts making us tired and clumsy meaning that these accidents happen a lot. Security is really tight in district six; they probably think that we're going to sabotage the cars and trains if we're not guarded. We're not a very pretty place either; the factories give off a lot of smoke, but at least everyone has a job. What Job do you two have?"

I really didn't have an official Job like some kids my age did, except helping kids from school so I went with that. "I'm a tutor; I mostly help with Panem's history and the odd part is that my dad teaches the same subject." I didn't mention that he taught to keep his mind busy otherwise he would remember the games; that would require telling him that my dad was a victor and making myself seem like a much bigger threat.

"So that's what you're going to do if you get out then?" those words reminded me that these were the Hunger Games. I just turned back to my food and he took the hint, we all finished our lunches in silence. I told Delv that I would be training Narci for the rest of the day, at first he tried to argue but he agreed eventually. After hours of sparing in hand to hand, sword practice, and survival skills we finally went back to our floor for dinner.

"What progress have you made," was the first thing Dad asked us "and have you decided what you are going to do for the game makers?"

I spoke first "We are both getting better at navigation and projectile weapons; I am also learning a bit about listening and spotting tributes from Narci."

"He also made a 'friend' today, the one that helped him with the navigation in return for lessons in hand to hand." It was rare that Narci looked this irritated, but she had a good point, I was getting a little too close to Delv.

Dad swung his view around to me clear shock and disapproval on his face "Doc you're training your competition? What is the matter with you boy? What did you make a deal with him? Don't tell me you want an alliance; you can't trust anyone in the arena, I would know."

"I didn't make an alliance with him but yes there is a deal. In return for teaching him how to fight, he promised to teach me how to navigate and he promised to go after Cutter. Even still, I only taught him a few simple tricks, nothing advanced; I should easily be able to overpower him in the arena. Another good thing is that he will be looking for Cutter; Cutter will be in a career pack so Delv should get killed and draw their attention away from me." It was sad really, I felt like I was trying to convince myself more than my dad.

He began to raise his voice "Oh he promised did he? Do you really think that he'll keep his word in the arena, are you sure that the information he gave you is correct?" He didn't wait for a response; he just kept going "I thought you would know better than that Doc." We ate the rest of the meal quietly; it was only after that dad spoke again. "So can I go ahead and say you didn't learn anything about the other tributes today?"

"I did" Narci spoke up, "well I practiced sneaking a little by listening in on the pack's conversation. Aside from Cutter there is also Sparks, the girl from District One, She's a fast runner and skilled with a spear. Then there's Racca from District Two; he's very strong, but not very agile, so Doc could probably take him on. Veeris is from District Two has a talent for tracking so we will need to cover our tracks. Then there are just the boys from Districts Seven and Ten; I don't know about the kid from Ten, but the guy from Seven is amazing with a pair of axes." Narci really showed me how much time I had been wasting, by proving to me that she knew our opponents better than I did. It was the first time that it had occurred to me that even if I was not here, she would still be a victor. I could only hope that she could prove it to the game makers tomorrow


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Training today mattered because we would have to decide what we were going to show the game makers. I thought about something unexpected like climbing or plant ID, but as much as I had learned about the survival skills, combat was still what I was good at. I decided on the sword, though I know my dad would protest saying that 'lots of people show them that, another tribute with a sword is nothing special.' Even still I was very good at it; I would venture to say the best out of all the tributes there. Narci said she would be using stealth related skills so she trained by herself for a while.

I told Delv to go train in whatever he was going to show the game makers, this left me with some time to train alone. The sword training station was anything but vacant; Cutter was there and when I walked over he gave me a smug look. He was still faster than me, but I was getting faster while still doing more damage to the dummies. I went on practicing, losing track of time until I noticed the others going to lunch.

I saw Narci sitting with Delv who stood up to greet me "Hi Doc," only friends called me Doc, I was sure I told him that, but I kept listening. "So you seem to be getting better with a sword; Cutter better watch out. Anyways, I was thinking that the three of us have been working together for a while now and since Cutter is protected by his pack. My solution is simple, we should make an alliance; at least until…."

"No!" I said quickly, "No alliances, no team ups and I'm sorry Delve but no more helping one another. You have to realize that the games are in two days and there are few people I can afford to trust. Besides, I work the best when I'm alone."

"Okay then Doc, if you travel alone then who is your friend here?" Delve asked gesturing to Narci

"That is the only person I can trust in the arena Delve; you don't even begin to compare." It felt bad saying this to a kid who was just trying to play the game, but then keeping others away was part of the game too.

"Okay Fine no alliance, can we still talk, maybe more about your district or something." It felt worse now for one key reason; I actually believed then and I still do now, that he was just trying to be friendly.

Regrettably I would have to tell him off "Look Delve, it would be easier if I just said it now, I can't be your friend; there are no friends in the arena. Just remember this, If I see you in the arena I have to kill you." He just stared at me in disbelief and I could not help but ad, "If things were different I don't know, but there's nothing I can do now but play the game and hope I don't meet you in the arena."

Delve nodded out of understanding, but he spoke before he walked away. "Hate to break it to you Doc, but if you're a good teacher and I'm a good student then we will see each other in the arena."

I removed his words from my thoughts; I needed to get back to training with Narci anyway. The rest of the day went on with our same training routine until we had to leave and get ready to perform for the game makers.

Narci and I waited for our turn, it wasn't very long considering we were from a low numbered district but the waiting still made me anxious. Finally I was called in; I spotted the head game maker as I came in, my father called him Seneca Crane. His eyes followed me all the way to the sword rack.

"Doctore Jolts, District Five" I said as I picked up one of the swords and waited until he told me to begin. I took a striking stance and let my first slash fly right across a practice dummies chest. The second strike came across the neck and then I drove the sword through the dummies belly. I removed the sword and continued hacking away as fast and hard as I could. I was in frenzy of slashing, stabbing, cutting, hacking, and at the end, chopping the dummies head clean off.

They dismissed me back to my room to await the scores that night; Crassus, Narci, dad and I all gather by the TV and the results were good and bad. The good news was that Narci got an eight and I got a ten; the bad news was that Cutter got a ten too; it was also odd to see that the boy from Twelve got an eight, but none of it was as bad as Delv getting a nine. "Are you regretting training that boy now Doc?" Dad asked me when it came on screen. Unfortunately I did wish that I didn't train him but only for a moment, then I remembered him helping me and his promise to go after Cutter. There was one other reason too, though no part of me wanted to admit it; I liked Delv, I thought he was a nice kid. I had to get rid of this feeling though; when the games started he would just be one more person that would have to die if I was going to save Narci.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Tonight was the interview with Caesar Flickerman; Narci was going to play up the innocent angle, it was true enough. I was going for something impressive; dad recommended a mix of competitive arrogance and mysteriousness but said that Crassus would be a better teacher. I had to laugh a little; we both knew what he meant by that.

Crassus was happy to teach me, even excited. "Splendid, one of my tributes wants me to teach them how to impress the crowd. Now let's start with the walk, you will need to walk as if you have already won. Keep your head high, your shoulders back, your stride should be bold, but not too bold; too much arrogance is a bad thing."

_Finally something we both agree on_ I thought. To his credit, Crassus was giving me good advice; I walked tall like I was so above anyone else. "Good, now when you speak with Caesar you must speak with confidence, make it seem as if the other competition could not possibly compare to you. Let me give you an example," he tried to mimic Caesar's voice, "Now Doctore, how do you feel about the other competitors?"

I made my voice a confident and bragging tone to answer the question. "The other competitors have some talent, but in the arena they will not last more than a few days against me."

"Okay good, but you must also keep vagueness too, a special something that leaves the audience asking, 'what will come next'? Another example perhaps; how is it that you managed to get a ten for a training score?"

"Well now my dear Caesar, that would be telling; don't worry though you will find out, as will all of these _other_ tributes."

Crassus gave a small chuckle at my response "My dear Caesar, I like that; perhaps the audience will too. At any rate it should make Caesar happy, and that alone will gain you lots of supporters." By the time I was done practicing with Crassus it was time to go to Razzion for my interview clothing. Surprisingly, I liked the suit I was given; a white colored tuxedo with two bright blue lightning bolts fashioned on the chest, and to top it off, the whole suit was lined with blue. Narci got a similar dress that was made to emphasize her small size and make her look cute.

We went down to the stage and lined up; the interview was about to start and Caesar came by dressed in a bright crimson color that made me think of the devil, how appropriate. First up was Sparks from District One, followed by Cutter trying to act tough. After that came Racca, he tried to go for intimidating and tough, though it became apparent that he was not very smart; then came District Four followed by Narci.

"Hello my young friend," Caesar said as Narci walked in and sat down "So why don't you start by introducing yourself to us?"

"Well I'm Narci Jolts," she said in a timid voice "and I'm twelve years old."

"Wonderful Narci, now how do you like the capitol so far?"

"It certainly is big, lots of tall well decorated buildings; it's a lot to take in."

"Yes, even I am amazed sometimes at my own home. So I want to get to know a little more about you my dear. What is life like back in District Five?"

"Life was fine; I really did like it back home. I have two older brothers there and a few good friends but as it is I just hope I can see them again." Narci said looking shyly at the ground.

Caesar gave her a pat on the shoulder, "I hope so too; ladies and gentlemen Narci jolts."

Now it was my turn, good thing too; I was sick of waiting and I just wanted to get this over with. I walked in like Crassus taught me, shoulders back, head high, chest out slightly, and bold steps. "Ladies and gentlemen," Caesar's voice boomed, "Doctore Jolts!" I sat in the chair next to Caesar and he began with a question I quite frankly was not prepared for. "Now with a name like Jolts, I can only assume that you are one of the older brothers Narci was talking about; am I correct?"

I was caught off guard, but I had to think of something fast "Yes as a matter of fact that was my little sister."

Caesar nodded then continued, "Yes well does this affect you strategy for the games in any way?"

I gave a slight chuckle, still trying to sound like I was in control "My dear Caesar, of course not, my plans are the same now as they have always been."

"Well it's always good to see some strong competitors in the arena, speaking of which, how you feel about the other tributes?"

"Don't get me wrong Caesar; some of them are strong and would do well in other years, but this is my year and I will win." The crowd erupted in applause at that, and Caesar smiled.

"Excellent, now what would you say is your greatest advantage in the arena?"

Time to be mysterious, "Oh Caesar, you'll see," I turned to the crowd "you'll all find out tomorrow when the gong sounds." The whole room erupted with cheering; I knew I had them in the palm of my hand.

"Just one more question Doctore, what happens if it comes down to you and your sister?"

"It is unfortunate that we should be in the same year, but as I said before, this will not change my plan. When the time comes, I will do what must be done to ensure my goals are met." _There, is that vague enough for you_?

Caesar and I stood "Ladies and gentlemen, Doctore Jolts." I took a less than modest bow and exited. The rest of the interviews seemed to fly by; Delv went for a funny and friendly look and everyone else was a mix of personalities. The boy from district twelve finished and the tributes began to file out; Narci and I went back to our room.

As you can imagine, neither of us could close our eyes let alone sleep. All I could think about was what the arena would look like. I hoped it was nice there, if I was going to die I wanted it to be somewhere peaceful, somewhere quiet. The sound of crying led me to Narci's room; she was curled up in a ball on her bed shaking with terror. "Narci," I almost asked what was wrong, but the answer would be too obvious. "Tomorrow you will be fine, I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." I said as I held her close. It was all I could offer, yet I felt like it wasn't enough. I found myself agreeing to stay for the night, I didn't mind because I wanted company too. Dreams came as I fell asleep in a chair by Narci's bedside, dreams about our mother and that horrible night.

My mind formed the image of a burning power plant and people being rushed out, and then I saw her. Mom was being carried out on a stretcher but the men carrying her stopped when my dad approached with Habara and I. Her skin was burned slightly and soot covered her cheeks but she was dying of smoke inhalation. She gave a weak smile at the sight of us and started whispering to us. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Take care of your little siblings untill I get back Habara, I love you both." With that she was taken away to be tended to; three days later dad told us that she was gone. All that remained were those words to Habara that would later be passed on to me when he was taken away and that I told Galmis before I left. "Take care of your younger siblings." It echoed in my head until the sun rose and dad came in to get us; today was the big day, the first twenty four hours.


	6. Chapter 6

I waited in the small room next to the glass cylinder dressed up in my arena uniform. It consisted of long cargo pants, a t-shirt, a light jacket, and waterproof boots that came up to the middle of my shins. Other than that all I wore was Habara's dog tags and I clutched them tight. The door opened and my dad entered, as he did the one minute warning sound came. "Look Doc, I don't have much time, I had to pull a lot of strings to get in here. Just listen to me." My mouth was too dry to form words so I just nodded "At the cornucopia don't get caught in the fight, just find someone with supplies that looks weak enough and pick them off quick. Once you have supplies look for water and regroup with Narci." Only thirty seconds left, "Son, I may not agree with your decision but I respect it and I'm so proud of you." My hand closed around Habara's dog tags. "Keep those close, and remember Doc, Jolts don't die easily." Those words were the ones my dad said rarely but when he did it meant that he knew a Jolts was going to die." Fifteen seconds left, I took my spot on the platform. "Goodbye Doctore, I'll never forget you and neither will Galmis or Narci." The platform began to rise; above me was light and then I was there, in the arena.

The first thing I noticed was the Cornucopia in the middle, shinning in the sunlight. It was lined with every supply from food to weapons; behind it all the ground just dropped off in a large cliff. To the right was a thickly wooded forest that stretched behind me, to the left was a large series of hills that stretched farther than I could see. Then I noticed how the sections of the arena were separated, the ground was just gone between them. Narci and I could probable jump across along with thee careers, but the tributes that couldn't make it would have to take the small rope bridges that looked unstable. I looked for Narci who was four podiums away from me and caught her eye. I looked to see if I had anyone's gaze, I was clear. I gestured with a tilt of my head to the forest; Narci gave quick thumbs up, no one else saw it. It was then that I took in the fact that I was standing next to Racca, Cutter's ally. I thought that if I could take him out now it would weaken the pack tremendously, but there was dad's warning. Perhaps if I got him before he got to the cornucopia I could still get away.

The gong sounded and I launched myself at Racca, we both tumbled to the ground; I started wildly throwing punches to his face followed by kneeing him in the gut repeatedly until I knocked him over. Then as he tried to get up I kicked him square in the face the placed both hands on his neck. He thrashed violently trying to throw me off but it was no use. When he stopped moving I gave his neck a twist, just to be safe. Now Came supplies and I spotted the perfect target.

I took off after the girl from District Twelve who was carrying a grey bag over a bridge and into the woods; she was fast, but I could keep up. One advantage helped me and that was endurance; she began to slow down as I came in on her. "Just give me the bag and I'll let you go," I told her, no reason to waste time with her when I needed to look for Narci that and I didn't want to kill the little kids just yet. She shook her head and tried to take off running again but I caught up to her. She pulled out a knife and swung it at me; I easily side stepped it and threw her to the ground. Unfortunately it was apparent that I could not just leave her, so I had to kill her. In two quick moves I took the knife -which she had a poor grip on—and planted it in her chest. Looking through the bag I found a few apples, an empty canteen, binoculars, some iodine, and some rope. Now came the hard part, finding Narci. The first thing she would do was look for water and a place to hide so I would start by looking for water. Judging by the time I entered the arena and the placement of the sun I determined I was going west, but in a day of travel I didn't find anything. I climbed one of the trees and tied myself to one of the branches to sleep; then came the anthem before the day's body count. Ten were dead, Racca was the first to show, then the boy from district three, and both district four tributes. Delv's face did not appear; _so he did make it through the day._ The girl from six was dead however and the girl from seven. No one from eight was dead, only the boy from nine; ten was clear, but eleven was totally out. Finally was the girl I killed, it was only now starting to weigh on me; today I killed two children. What bothered me the most was how easy it was, especially with Racca. I had just thrown myself at him and gave no thought to killing the boy, it just came so naturally. I tried to tell myself that they would have killed me but it was hopeless; _who were those two outside of the arena? _I wondered if I would ever find out.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

From up high in the tree I could see a river, it was close. The only problem was that I was not the only one who noticed it; a boy, from District Eight I thought, was there. He was just drinking from the river not paying any attention; I climbed down from the tree and started to move in his direction. I pulled out my knife when I came up behind him; in two quick moves I clapped my hand over his mouth and pulled my knife across his throat. The cannon sounded and I relaxed a little so I could fill my canteen. I was amazed again though that I gave so little thought to killing the kid, it just felt like the right thing to do at the time.

When it was full and I added the iodine to purify it I began to search for anything useful or anything that indicated that Narci had been here.

My search turned up a set of prints in the mud that went north; they were small prints and they had something deliberately pressed into them. A small lightning bolt decorated them, a bolt like the one that decorated Narci's favorite necklace. It would have been any other trail to another tribute but it was meant for me; she was going north and wanted me to follow. The tracks disappeared in a mile, it was not surprising seeing as Narci just wanted to give a hint to me but not a full trail to anyone else. Mid-day I heard the cannon again and decided to pick up the pace, the pack was on the move now.

As the sun started to set, its rays struck something sending light outward. My hand found a small gold necklace and on it dangled a lightning bolt. Panic gripped me, was it her? Was the cannon I heard announcing her death, or was this just something else for me to follow? Only the daily body count would tell me, so I waited there that night in a tree for the picture to flash in the sky. I did see a picture, and it was a girl, but she was from District Nine; I was just happy that Narci was still alive and still trying to help me find her. That night I fell asleep trying to think about what a dropped necklace meant, then it hit me; the whole day I had been tracking the necklace and now I have found it, Narci was close by.

In the morning I found her, or rather she found me when I woke up to her sitting on a branch in another tree. "Good morning Doc," she said with a smile "did you sleep well?" I let out a small laugh; all this time I was worried about her, but she again prove that she could survive on her own. "So what's the plan now?"

That was a good question, we had water and each other now; food, the few apples would not last us long. "Well you are the plant expert; we could start there and see where that goes." Under our combined knowledge we found some berries and oddly enough we found the scraps of some small mammal that was attacked by something. We had to cook it fast then keep moving a fire could attract other tributes.

Even still the career pack found us about an hour later, "Doc listen." Narci suddenly whispered as she looked around the forest. I did listen, and then I heard something moving through the trees.

"Run Narci, move!" Out of the trees came six tributes led by Cutter. We went barreling through the woods and to the cliff that separated us from the center field. I jumped over the gap first and Narci followed. I paused for a moment; looking over the tributes I found something that disturbed and shocked me, there standing next to the boy from District Ten was Delv clutching a knife in throwing position. His toss followed a spear from the District One girl; her spear grazed my shoulder. Delv's missed but just barely; I didn't wait for them to try again. I seized the knife and kept moving, maybe we could outrun them.

They may have been good fighters, but Narci and I could run much farther and much faster. We had escaped for a while but our supplies of food and water were low. The river was a good place to start provided that none of the other tributes were there; so we made a large loop around the careers and entered the woods. To our disappointment though there was the girl from District Three collecting water when suddenly she jerked her hand away; I used the binoculars to get a closer look.

The hand was bleeding from what looked like fang marks. She jerked her foot away next to reveal a large grey serpent biting her boot. It was enough to send her off into the forest; I decided that we needed to move further up the river. Once I was a mile or two up the river I started down the river bank, but Narci stopped me immediately.

"Doc look," she pointed and I saw it, the grey outline of a snake. They were well hidden; it was the second time that Narci's sharp senses saved us both. We followed the river for miles, but we kept finding these snakes everywhere; this was no coincidence. Something had to be different about these snakes, their camouflage, their bite, or maybe their venom; whatever it was, there was no way that they could be placed this perfectly by nature. I had to remember where I was for a moment; in the arena nothing was truly natural. We still followed the river North West; I thought we could find the source of the water flow and maybe the game makers left that clear of snakes.

The sun started to sink as the cannon fired, and after we took our places in trees that night the image of the girl from district three flashed up. _So the snake was venomous after all, _I noted.

"Hey Doc, what happens when it gets down to the two of us?" I forgot that she was the only person who didn't know "If it comes to that what then?" It was hard to answer because we were in the arena and everyone watching heard me bragging in the interview.

After some thought I decided to be vague again, "I promise things will turn out the best way possible for me, I'm sorry." I only hoped that she understood what I was really saying. She did not seem afraid; she only looked away and tried to sleep. I stayed up a little while longer and thought to myself. I started with the tributes; fourteen were dead now, that only left ten. Six of those ten were part of the pack; two were Narci and I, which left two unaccounted for.

After counting off I decided to sleep, but I still kept having nightmares; some about mom on that stretcher and some about Habarra in his casket. I woke up soaked to the sound of Narci calling. It was pouring, I was upset at first because I was being rained on, and then happy; this rain would give us the water we needed if we could find a way to collect it. So we climbed down and found shelter in a large cave where we could wait as thunder and lightning boomed overhead.

That night it was still raining when the capitol seal and anthem sounded; no one died today so afterward the sky went dark and we talked for a bit. "So Doc, what are you going to do if you get out?" Narci asked still unaware of my plan.

All I could think about was why she was so good at asking hard questions; I had no answer because I would never come out. Still I had to keep her hopes up so I thought about the 'if'. "Well I guess I would be a mentor like dad and maybe a teacher for the rest of the year." She gave me a sarcastically upset look

"But Doc, being a teacher has always been my dream job; wait what would you teach?"

"Tough one, there's a lot to teach, but I would have to say history; probably because I have a great teacher." Otherwise known as dad, "He's inspiring, though he can get a bit odd sometimes" she smiled a little that was always good.

"Would you ever want a family?" she asked on a more serious note "you know just have kids, a family and a home." If I said she was good at asking hard questions I was wrong, this one had a simple answer.

"Nope," I said trying to sound like I was joking. "Why would I want kids?" She didn't laugh; she must have known the real reason. Oh sure the thought had crossed my mind, but my dad was the prime example of why I wouldn't want kids. I may have enjoyed children of my own, but like my dad I could just lose them to these games. I would not put myself through that, even if I did make it out, which I wouldn't. "So what about you then, I know you want to teach but would you want a family?"

"I'm not sure, maybe someday. I mean I know the risks but it might be worth it after all dad thought so when he married mom." She looked at me with a smile.

"That story again?" She wanted me to tell her the story of how our parents met; it was something I told her now and again. At first it was just a little girl and a love story but now it was something I told her to comfort her, so it was really like a safety blanket. "Okay fine but keep a close eye on the woods. Dad met Mom when they started high school, and oddly enough he tutored her in history so even then he was teaching. But then when Dad turned sixteen he was taken to the Capitol where he won the Fifty Third Hunger Games. When he came back he started spending more time with Mom, he even stayed in school." Most victors dropped out, after all the Capitol gave them all the money they needed. "Then one day he just decided that if he was brave enough to survive the arena he was brave enough to ask Mom on a date. Needless to say it went well; a few years later they got married then a few more years later they started having children." I stopped the story there because Mom's death came next and Narci knew it too; even still she was happy to hear her favorite story.

We didn't talk after that though so Narci and I went deeper into the darker parts of the cave to hide, just in case the career pack came hunting tonight.

Narci fell asleep quickly, but I stayed up to think for a while; there were no deaths today so a body count was pointless. We had water now so we needed food; there should be some plants at the source of the river. Other than finding this source we had no real plan but I decided that this plan worked for now. That's when I spotted the glow at the cave entrance.

**Sorry it took me so long to put a note in, but to anyone who is still reading I want to thank you. I should also make it clear that I do not own The Hunger Games but I do take credit for Doc, Narci, and any other characters in the original source material. To the one person who is currently following this story I want to thank you for being my first follower. Please continue reading and leave a review, thank you. **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I drew my knife quietly and began to move towards the glow; the careers must have found us. The torch holder was Veeris from District Two, when she spotted me she came at me full force. I stepped to the side, grabbed her by the arm and swung her into the cave wall. Then threw her to the ground only to feel a sharp sting across my shin; one foot found her wrist and pinned it to the ground while the other found her neck. Her free hand clawed wildly at my leg, but quickly slowed and then the cannon.

Terror gripped me at what happened next, I heard struggling and Narci grunting and then she hollered in pain. I dashed deeper into the cave and thrust my hand in her direction. My hand felt someone's jacket; I pulled and felt the weight of someone fly by me but I didn't let go. Knife in hand I shouted "who are you!'

"Please don't hurt me," cried a young boy's voice "they told me to do it; they said I could join if I killed you two." Judging by the voice he was certainly not Delv or cutter, and far too young to be the kids from Seven or Ten; that left only one boy.

"You're from District Twelve right? I didn't even hear you come in; I guess that's where your eight in training came from." I didn't wait for a response "Do you really think that they'll let you join; no they're just using you to sneak in. If you go back then you're dead; actually, you're dead now." My knife stabbed at him crazily as he hollered in pain and I could feel his blood spurting from his wounds. I was almost tempted to let him run back to Cutter to die, but I could not risk him leading the others here. A sharp painful sound reminded me of Narci. "Narci, how bad is it?"

"Doc, I'm scared," The sound was so faint, but I could still hear her crying.

Hold on Narci I'll get the torch and look at the wound, you'll be alright I'm going to fix it."

In the dark I felt her hand grasp my arm, "Don't go Doc, please don't go." Against her pleading I ran for the torch in hopes that I could save her, but what the light revealed destroyed all hope. The boy had stabbed her in the gut and dragged the knife across her belly. I didn't know anything about treating wounds other than adding pressure would keep her from bleeding out. This assumed I was not already too late, but I tried it anyway. "Doc," Narci sobbed.

"You're not going to die Narci; I promise you that you won't." I tried to convince her but she only shook her head. She took my hand and began to breath too deeply. Her grasp tightened as the breaths got more desperate, and then both things just faded away in an instant.

Right on the Game Makers' cue, the rain had stopped and the sun was starting to rise illuminating my nightmare. First was Veeris at the edge of the cave, then the boy from District Twelve; he was covered with stab wounds that I gave him. For a moment I was shocked that I had done this, but then I saw Narci. Her eyes were wide open and looked, empty; there was no other word to describe it. The wound seemed larger and more obvious in the sunlight; I wondered if there was any chance at all to fix it as if I could still save her. What a mess it was, all of it, all the games. Narci, the girl who wanted to be a teacher, the girl that I promised to protect and even die for was dead. I forced her eyelids shut and couldn't help but think about how much she looked like Mom. She always did, and now she was gone before her time too; right at that thought I broke down and wept for the first time since before Mom died. I was aware that the Capitol was watching me but I didn't care; they could watch and see me, the boy who was crying over a dead sister, something that they couldn't understand. Then the thought crossed my mind again but it was changed; _why do we have to pay for what our great grandparent's did, why didn't they fight longer? Why did they agree to the Treaty of Treason? _

I felt like collapsing and staying there forever, but the pack would be here soon when Veeris didn't come back so I had to run. If there was one thing I still had left in this game it was hope; hope that even though I couldn't save Narci I could still deny victory to Cutter, and Delv, And the whole pack. One thing was for sure, if Narci died then so would the pack. I took one last look at Narci as my sadness turned into rage, "Goodbye Narci." I wiped away my tears, I had a job to do, and it was time to hunt.

**Thanks for reading so far and as always please leave any questions or comments.**


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